k-12

A boycott by Seattle teachers of district mandated Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests has drawn support from educators, parents and students across the country. Teachers said they refused to administer the tests because they cover material they are not expected to teach, they take too much time away from learning, especially for struggling students, and giving the MAP tests ties up computer labs for weeks. FairTest supports these teachers and others who are taking a stand against testing overuse and misuse.

1.Talk to others about test misuse. Break the silence by talking with other parents, teachers, neighbors and friendsone on one, in small groups, or at house parties.Share the facts about test overuse and misuse. • Use the fact sheets at http://www.fairtest.org/fact%20sheets.

FairTest submitted written testimony on how high-stakes connects testing with punitive discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline, to the subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights of the Senate Committee on the

“Value Added” Instability

In “On the Stability (or not) of Being Irreplaceable,” researcher Bruce Baker excoriates a report from The New Teacher Project that labels teachers whose “value added” scores place them in the top 20% as “irreplaceables.”

This was written by Lisa Guisbond, a policy analyst for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, known as FairTest, a Boston-based organization that aims to improve standardized testing practices and evaluations of students, teachers and schools.

Here are sample letters for you to use in encouraging friends, local school boards, allied organizations, and state and national legislators to endorse the Resolution. There are also sample letters to the editor and op-eds. We encourage you to submit these to your local paper or blogs.